Two Ukrainians enter into same-sex marriage in New York

July 1, Ukrainians Mykola Maslov and Taras Karasiychuk got married in New York.

During the ceremony, the men were dressed in the colors of the Ukrainian national flag.

Taras and Mykola tell the Human Rights Information Centre correspondent about how the marriage ceremony was conducted, what kind of benefits this status provides, and why they had to go to another country to effect their marriage.

The guys live in Ukraine. Taras works as the executive director, and Mykola as the software engineer in the All-Ukrainian NGO “Gay Alliance Ukraine”.

As Mykola Maslov explains, those people, who do not have citizenship, may get married in three countries – the United States, Canada and Argentina.

Taras Karasiychuk notes that only the states of California, New York, Massachusetts and Washington offer such opportunity in the US.

Taras explains the reasons for their decision, “Since the same-sex couples cannot enter into marriage in Ukraine, we decided to do that where there is such a possibility. It was important for us, just as for any heterosexual couple. We got married for the same reason”. 

This marriage will be recognized in many countries, in particular in all those, which allow gay marriages. It refers to the whole territory of the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and other countries. In Ukraine, Taras says, they are not legally recognized, although they are not beyond the law.

“As for me with my cosmopolitan stance, I’m happy with the fact that the major part of thecivilized world considers us to be legitimate spouses,” Taras emphasizes. 

He says that the new status gives the guys certain advantages, but it’s not the complete list provided for citizens of the countries, which already legalized same-sex marriage, “If we go for a vacation somewhere, for example, to Sweden, and something happens to me suddenly, Mykola will have every legitimate reason to visit me in the hospital and make some kind of decisions. Moreover, when buying a card for mobile communication, many countries have special family tariffs, which allow you to save money. In addition, certain hotels have special discounts and offers for couples. There are many such little examples. I understand that we can’t yet talk aboutinheritance or some other global issues that are possible for the residents of the country. However, if we at least cause Ukraine to accept and legalize the marriages effected abroad, it will be the first step.”

The marriage procedure is quite simple: you need any IDs (guys used their travel passports) and one witness with ID. There are five places in New York, where you may get married. Taras and Mykola chose the central district in Manhattan.

“We filled in the online form, got a registration number, the so-called marriage license, and paid the first fee, which made up $35. By the way, in Washington, the whole procedure is more expensive and costs $250. Having the license, we had the right to come to the ceremony not earlier than in 24 hours. In general, you are given 30 days after you have obtained a license. They joke that this license is given to the couples to have a chance to think about whether they need this marriage, and does it make sense to be involved in it,” Taras says.

He mentions that the divorce procedure is much more complicated and expensive than marriage.

The guys came with witnesses and guests in five or six days. There were about twenty people, including representatives of the local LGBT organization, consisting of Ukrainians who were forced to leave the country for one reason or another. They paid the second part of the fee, which made up $30. The marriage registration procedure was held in a common window, which number is specified in the registration card. Then, the couple say, there was a very nice ceremony, after which they received the marriage certificate.

“Then we had the small American style party, which was very heartwarming if to compare with traditional Ukrainian weddings with contests, toaster, and two-day booze. This approach is closer and easier for me, because it takes much time to recover after Ukrainian weddings,” Taras notes.

Talking about when Ukraine will provide its citizens with an opportunity to enter into same-sex marriages, Taras Karasiychuk mentions that the state must first determine its priority – whether it is the national right idea, which is popular and is gaining strength, or the liberal Western European and American values. And then, if the state starts moving in this direction with specific actions, not in words, we can talk about seven or eight years.

Photos by Taras Karasiychuk